Research

Hormonal

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation, particularly the trans-10, cis-12 isomer, reduces body fat and adiposity in animal models through mechanisms involving PPAR modulation and SCD-1 inhibition, but in humans, it often fails to significantly affect body composition or insulin sensitivity and may induce adverse metabolic effects like hyperproinsulinemia.

CLA supplements are not a reliable solution for fat loss or metabolic health in humans. While they reduce fat in animals, human studies show minimal to no benefit on body composition and a potential risk of increased insulin resistance, particularly with the trans-10, cis-12 isomer. Focus on diet and exercise instead.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Studies in obese humans, however, show that CLA do not affect glucose metabolism or insulin sensitivity... In humans, although it is indicated that 10-CLA is the antiadipogenic isomer, the effects of CLA on fat deposition are less significant and more equivocal as compared to results observed in animals... In obese men, 10-CLA induces hyperproinsulinemia that is related to impaired insulin sensitivity
Sailas Benjamin et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2009

Why this rating

The paper is a review summarizing heterogeneous studies; human clinical trials show conflicting and often null results compared to strong animal data.

Source

Conjugated linoleic acids as functional food: an insight into their health benefits

Sailas Benjamin et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2009

DOI 10.1186/1743-7075-6-36

narrative_reviewCited 268×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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